Abstract
Objective: To examine relationships between traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) and markers of pre-clinical cardiovascular risk in young children. Study design: We studied a cohort of healthy children ages 2–5 recruited from pediatric primary care sites (n = 122). We obtained child weight, height, blood pressure and hair nicotine levels. A blood sample was obtained for biomarkers of systemic inflammation, oxidation, and prevalence of circulating endothelial progenitor cells. This manuscript represents a secondary analysis. TRAP exposure (particulate levels, nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and proximity to major roadways) was assessed using national air pollution data based on child’s census tract of residence. Results: TRAP exposure had significant positive associations with prevalence of two of the three EPC subtypes (CD34 + /CD133 + /CD45− and CD133 + /CD45−) in unadjusted correlations. In a linear regression model, adjusting for sex, age, race, ethnicity, body mass index, parental education, child insurance, and secondhand smoke exposure, one EPC subtype (CD133 + /CD45−) had a positive significant correlation to every TRAP measure. No significant relationships between air pollution and measures of inflammation and oxidation was found. Conclusion: Our findings of the upregulation of EPCs may signal a response to early vascular damage during early childhood due to air pollution exposure.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 66 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1718-1723 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Pediatric Research |
| Volume | 96 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 2024 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to the International Pediatric Research Foundation, Inc 2024.
Funding
We acknowledge Tiasha Letostak PhD for her help making the collaboration which led to this work possible. This work was supported in part by the American Academy of Pediatrics Julius B. Richmond Center of Excellence, (Groner & Bauer, Co-PIs), which is funded by grants from the Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute and Legacy. Other support also included the US National Institutes of Health (R21ES016883) and the University of Kentucky Center for Appalachian Research in Environmental Sciences (P30ES026529) and the Regina Drury Pediatric Research Endowment Fund (Bauer). The support for the secondary analysis was from the Nationwide Children\u2019s Hospital Primary Care Affinity Group. The findings and conclusions are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of any of these institutions. The sponsors had no role in study design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation, writing this report or the decision to submit this report for publication.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Nationwide Children’s Hospital Primary Care Affinity Group | |
| American Academy of Pediatrics | |
| Regina Drury Pediatric Research Endowment Fund | |
| Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute | |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | R21ES016883 |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | |
| University of Kentucky Center for Appalachian Research in Environmental Sciences | P30ES026529 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health